The Socceroos are set to forge ahead with plans to play friendlies in the Middle East next month in the face of the increasingly volatile and unpredictable conflict in the region.
Australia are scheduled to face Qatar in Doha on November 14 before taking on Jordan in Amman on November 17 in what represents the Socceroos’ final hit-outs before coach Tony Popovic names his squad for January’s Asian Cup.
But recent violence in the region – including a strike at the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels this month – heightened security concerns over games going ahead in the region.
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Last week nine people were gunned down by Syrian militants at an orthodox church in Jordan, one of the more stable countries in the Middle East.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade currently advises Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Jordan, while Qatar is rated as a much safer destination.
As things stand – with Popovic due to name a squad next week – Football Australia (FA) is expecting the games with Qatar and Jordan to go ahead as scheduled.
“Football Australia is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East ahead of the Socceroos’ matches against Qatar and Jordan in November,” an FA spokesperson said in a statement to AAP.
“The safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and supporters remains paramount.
“Our experienced security team is actively monitoring developments and providing regular updates, and we will be guided by the advice of our head of security.
“Risk assessment is part of our planning for every national team camp, and it will be a key focus of our preparations for November.”
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While FA’s decision to push on is encouraging, there is still no clear decision on what will happen with January’s Asian Cup.
Saudi Arabia has been forced to move a friendly with South Korea to Qatar as part of the flow-on effect of the Riyadh attack, and several Asian Champions League games involving Saudi club sides have been postponed.
The Saudis – or the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) – have yet to make a decision over whether next year’s Asian Cup, which is expected to kick off with the hosts taking on Palestine in Riyadh on January 7, will still take place as scheduled.
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There is growing concern that the Asian Cup would be delayed by 12 months, with AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa saying a decision may not happen until the end of November.
“If we need to make a decision then we will, but we could move back a year to 2028 if we need to,” he said in Zurich this month.
“But at the moment we are monitoring the situation and everything is on schedule.”
